Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 284 He's going to attack Taiyuan?!
"Sijin, the Second New Regiment has sent a telegram saying that Chen Chengxing has led his team to Xiangling Village."

"Moreover, they decided to try a diversionary tactic of attacking Wei to relieve the siege of Zhao," Chief of Staff Chen reported as he entered the temporary command post.

"That's great!" Chen Sijin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Chen Chengxing had escaped safely.

"Where did they decide to attack?" Chen Sijin asked.

"Taiyuan."

"Where? Attack Taiyuan?!" Chen Sijin could hardly believe his ears.

Attacking Fu'an or Ping'an would already be a big deal, so why would Chen Chengxing want to attack Taiyuan?
Is he crazy?
Do you think your small infantry regiment can stage an accident in Taiyuan?
"No, I disagree with this. Send a telegram to the Second New Regiment immediately!"

The purpose of having the Second New Regiment employ the tactic of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" was simply to reduce troop casualties.

If the new Second Regiment were to be dragged into this, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?

"The Grand Master disagrees. How about we attack Ping An instead?"

"Taking Ping'an County should be enough to relieve the headquarters and the military region from their predicament," Luo Ping said.

"At most, attacking Ping'an will only involve a small number of Japanese troops returning to reinforce," Chen Chengxing shook his head.

Whether it's attacking Ping'an or Fu'an, the Fourth Brigade is the most likely to provide support.

Even if the Japanese troops from other places provide support, it will only be a small-scale mobile force.

This could at most relieve the siege of Dayun Mountain, but it wouldn't be of much use to the military region and headquarters.

"Moreover, the attack on Taiyuan did not necessarily mean that we had to fight all the way to the city walls. We just needed to put some pressure on the Japanese."

“Look here, Nantun Town,” Chen Chengxing said, pointing to the map.

"As long as we take Nantun Town and Xiguan stronghold, we can put pressure on Taiyuan."

"In order to launch a large-scale mopping-up operation, the Japanese have already withdrawn all their troops from this area."

"I estimate that Taiyuan has at most two infantry battalions, and the rest are puppet troops and traitors."

"At most, there's still half a brigade left in Taigu here."

"They would absolutely not dare to send troops to provide support lightly."

Attacking Nantun Town seemed very dangerous, but the Second New Regiment had penetrated directly into the heart of the Japanese territory.

But actually, the pressure might be less than that of betting on Ping An.

The main force of the Japanese troops is currently stationed on the periphery, with only puppet troops and a small number of Japanese soldiers remaining in the core, making their combat strength relatively weak.

The biggest threat from the Japanese is artillery, but the Independent Heavy Artillery Regiment is currently in Linfen, fighting against the Kuomintang army in the Zhongtiao Mountains.

The Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment was split up and went into the mountains; there is still a battalion in Dayun Mountain.

Even though Taiyuan had artillery, there weren't many at that time, so it posed little threat to the New Second Regiment.

A single move can have far-reaching consequences; only by causing trouble in the Japanese rear can we truly draw their attention.

"Besides Taiyuan and Taigu, don't forget there's also the Fourth Brigade," Luo Ping reminded him.

The Fourth Brigade is still sweeping through Dayun Mountain. If they want, they can directly support the Xiguan stronghold.

"I will definitely not forget them, but although the Fourth Brigade is relatively close, they are not a great threat."

"The 22nd Regiment of the East Route, which was originally the most threatening, has been lured to the north because of the Battle of Shezhuang."

"The main force of the Fourth Brigade is sweeping around the west side of Dayun Mountain. If they want to support Nantun Town, they have to travel a hundred miles of mountain road."

"There are at least 40, if not 50, places along the way that are suitable for ambushes and ambush."

"We only need to send out one main battalion, with the militia assisting in the blocking action," Chen Chengxing said.

The entire Zhongyun Mountain Range is lower in the west and higher in the east. The eastern side is not only full of mountains, but also has particularly rugged roads.

Moreover, the only way to get out of the mountains is through the Xiguan stronghold.

We can easily launch a surprise attack and give the Japanese a run for their money.

Even a heavily armored unit like the 4th Brigade would need two or three days to get out of the mountains without any resistance.

If someone were to block them, it would be easy to keep the Japanese from coming out for a week.

If the Japanese soldiers wanted to take the highway, they would have to detour through Zhangjiahui.

This loop is over 300 li (approximately 150 kilometers), and it would take the Japanese soldiers at least four or five days to cover it.

Would Yoshio Shinotsuka dare to expose Taiyuan to the onslaught of the New Second Regiment for so long?
If Taiyuan were attacked, it would not only be a military issue, but also a political one.

The impact of this incident may be even worse than the Hundred Regiments Offensive.

Even if Taiyuan hadn't fallen, Yoshio Shinotsuka's position wouldn't have been secure.

“But the higher-ups don’t agree. If we insist on fighting, the consequences could be very serious,” Luo Ping said.

"Don't worry, Lao Luo, I've never been a troublemaker, and I would never disobey orders," Chen Chengxing said.

However, if unforeseen circumstances occur, then there's nothing I can do.

"Old Luo, I was outside just now and I heard the guerrilla fighters seem to have some reservations about the fact that their organization was canceled."

"Go and take a look, and try to persuade the soldiers."

"I'll communicate with my superiors," Chen Chengxing said.

"Old Chen, you absolutely mustn't disobey orders," Luo Ping instructed.

How could he not know why Chen Chengxing sent him away? He must have some ulterior motives in mind.

"Don't worry," Chen Chengxing said, patting his chest.

"As long as you know the number."

Luo Ping said that you are the one he is most worried about.

After Luo Ping left, Chen Chengxing called Wei Dayong in.

"Monk, what will you do in a moment?"

A few minutes later, Chen Chengxing arrived at the communications platoon and began to dictate his thoughts.

The telegraph operator dialed and dialed for a long time before finally finishing.

Seeing that the work was finished, Chen Chengxing immediately winked at Wei Dayong beside him.

Wei Dayong understood, took two steps to the side, and then seemed to trip over something.

"Wei Dayong! What are you doing!"

The telegraph operator next to him jumped up.

That kid Wei Dayong actually tripped and broke the wire between the hand-cranked generator and the radio.

I don't know where he got such strength; they usually can't even break this line when they pull on it.

If the telegraph operator hadn't still had some sense, he would have gone over and attacked Wei Dayong right now.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." After getting up, Wei Dayong began frantically fiddling with the wires, as if trying to reconnect them.

"Wei Dayong!"

"To!"

"This cable is very important to the radio! Since you broke it, you're responsible for fixing it."

"Until it's fixed, you'll stay with the communications platoon!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

"Yes! I guarantee I will complete the mission!" Wei Dayong replied, standing at attention.

Although he doesn't understand anything, he'll definitely be able to fix it before the battle with the enemy forces in Nantun Town begins.

The telegraph operator standing nearby was a little confused.

Should we let Wei Dayong fix it? Does he even know how?
At the military region's temporary command post, Chen Dasi frowned as he looked at Chen Chengxing's telegram.

According to Chen Chengxing, the attack on Taiyuan was mainly a feint, with at most a few long-range artillery shots fired.

Therefore, it's not that we can't fight.

"What do you think?" Chen Dasi asked the chief of staff beside him.

"It's still a bit dangerous. Even if the Second New Regiment can retreat into the mountains in time, the Japanese can still blockade the entire deep mountain area."

"At that time, the food problem alone will be enough to starve the New Second Regiment to death," the chief of staff said.

Nantun Town is located directly north of Taiyuan.

To its west and north are Thirty Mile Mountain and Zhan Mountain, respectively, both of which are sparsely populated deep mountains.

If the Second New Regiment can retreat into the mountains, it will indeed be difficult for the Japanese to pursue them.

But once the Japanese 4th Brigade and the troops reinforcing Taiyuan form an encirclement.

The supplies in the mountains were insufficient to sustain the entire Second Regiment.

Chen Sijin considered the current battlefield situation, looked at the map for a while, and then spoke.

"Send a telegram to Chen Chengxing. You can make a feint, but you absolutely cannot go deep into the territory."

"If the Japanese show any signs of encirclement, immediately move out!"

"Okay, I'll go send the message right away." The chief of staff hurriedly walked out.

However, less than two minutes later, he hurriedly returned.

"Sijin, something's wrong. We've suddenly lost contact with the Second New Regiment," the chief of staff said urgently.

The chief of staff's first thought was that Japanese bombers had bombed the headquarters of the New Second Regiment.

"Can't get in touch?" Chen Sijin was also taken aback.

But he quickly realized what was happening.

The Japanese were able to locate their positions via radio, but it was Chen Chengxing who discovered it. Could he have gotten the Japanese to blow it up?

"It's probably a radio malfunction. I estimate it will be fixed in the next day or two," Chen Sijin said.

Based on the location of Xiangling Village, the new Second Regiment should be able to reach Nantun Town by tomorrow or the day after.

"Tomorrow or the day after?" The chief of staff still didn't understand.

If the radio is malfunctioning and there are no replacement parts, repairing it won't be so simple.

"It will definitely get better by then," Chen Sijin nodded.

He knew the situation of the new Second Regiment in no time.

These are all things I've already done before.

Back when he was working with the micro-management master, Chen Dasi used to come up with all sorts of tricks to avoid being remotely commanded.

"So what do we do now?" the chief of staff asked.

"First, prepare a contingency plan, and then send a telegram to headquarters saying that the Second New Regiment is going to carry out a feint."

"Yes!"

In Xiangling Village, Chen Chengxing ordered Wei Dayong to stay in the communications platoon to repair the power lines.

He immediately summoned the military officers of all battalions and companies of the New Second Regiment upon leaving the house.

Soon, all the officers except for the cavalry company gathered in the regimental headquarters courtyard.

As for the cavalry company, Chen Chengxing has already sent them out to scout the route.

The situation in Zhongyun Mountain is very chaotic right now, with Japanese soldiers everywhere. They can't possibly fight their way through.

That would not only waste a lot of time, but also attract the attention of the Japanese.

At the meeting, everyone took Chen Chengxing's explanation seriously.

"The Japanese are currently vulnerable in the rear. If we capture Nantun Town, the Japanese will surely retreat."

"The siege of the base will be lifted immediately then," Chen Chengxing said.

"Commander, since there are no clear instructions from the higher-ups, wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to act rashly at this time?" someone below asked.

Although the loss of contact with the military region was due to a radio station issue, it was still no small matter.

"The Grand Marshal is afraid that we will fail to capture the city and suffer heavy losses instead," Chen Chengxing said.

"According to intelligence, there is currently only one regiment of puppet troops in Nantun Town."

"Could it be that even with the deployment of three main battalions, the Second New Regiment still can't take it down?" Chen Chengxing glanced around.

"Taking Nantun Town is absolutely no problem." Everyone puffed out their chests.

What a joke, a fake legion has less than a thousand men.

The Second New Regiment alone had more men than them.

If three battalions plus the artillery battalion can't even take down a regiment of puppet troops, then what's the point of fighting the Japanese?
"As long as we can take it down, there's no question of whether or not to give orders," Chen Chengxing affirmed.

Who is Chen Dasijin? Chen Chengxing knows him inside and out.

As long as we can win battles, that's all that matters. As long as we make a fortune, anything is negotiable.

If you can't get rich, no matter how obedient you are, it won't work.

Hearing Chen Chengxing say this, everyone became more determined.

Upon hearing that they were going to attack Nantun Town, the soldiers' morale immediately soared, and they began to make active preparations.

They had been chased by the Japanese for several days and were already seething with anger.

When has the Second New Regiment ever suffered such humiliation?

(End of this chapter)